Squirm - English meaning

verb

Undergo great mental anguish through worrying about something.

Usage examples:

I didn't agonize over the problem

verb

To spend a lot of time trying to make a decision

Usage examples:

She agonized for days over whether she should take the job., after hours of agonizing debate, the m…

verb

Make small movements, especially of the hands and feet, through nervousness or impatience.

Usage examples:

The audience began to fidget and whisper

noun

A person who fidgets.

Usage examples:

He was also a bit of a fidget, i'd observed him earlier in the day spending a good 30 minutes clear…

verb

To make continuous small movements because you are uncomfortable or bored

Usage examples:

Children can’t sit still for long without fidgeting.

noun

A threshing tool consisting of a wooden staff with a short heavy stick swinging from it.

Usage examples:

In some middle eastern locations, the same animals dragged a sledge over the ears, or workers manua…

verb

Wave or swing wildly.

Usage examples:

His arms flailed as he sought to maintain his balance

verb

(especially of arms and legs) to move energetically in an uncontrolled way

Usage examples:

A wasp came towards us and howard started flailing his arms around., she ran from the house in a te…

verb

Struggle or stagger clumsily in mud or water.

Usage examples:

He was floundering about in the shallow offshore waters

noun

A small flatfish that typically occurs in shallow coastal water.

Usage examples:

The study was spurred by previous observations of feminization in estuarine fish, particularly the …

verb

Move clumsily or struggle to move, as in mud or water

verb

Move about quickly from side to side or up and down.

Usage examples:

The car jiggled on its springs

noun

A quick light shake.

Usage examples:

Give that rack a jiggle

verb

To move something or cause something to move from side to side or up and down with quick short movements

Usage examples:

[ t ] if the toilet won’t stop flushing, jiggle the handle.

verb

Move or cause to move from one place to another, especially over a small distance.

Usage examples:

A team from the power company came to shift the cables away from the house

noun

A slight change in position, direction, or tendency.

Usage examples:

A shift in public opinion

verb

Move very slightly

verb

Move smoothly along a surface while maintaining continuous contact with it.

Usage examples:

She slid down the bank into the water

noun

A structure with a smooth sloping surface for children to slide down.

Usage examples:

Anna played on the slide

verb

Move smoothly along a surface

verb

Move smoothly over a surface with a twisting or oscillating motion.

Usage examples:

I spied a baby adder slithering away

noun

A slithering movement.

Usage examples:

A snake-like slither across the grass

verb

To move by twisting or sliding

Usage examples:

A long snake slithered toward them.

verb

Separate grain from (corn or other crops), typically with a flail or by the action of a revolving mechanism.

Usage examples:

Machinery that can reap and thresh corn in the same process

verb

To remove the seeds of crop plants by hitting, using either a machine or a hand tool

To move around restlessly while sleeping or trying to sleep

Usage examples:

I was tossing and turning all night.

verb

Move in a circular direction wholly or partly round an axis or point.

Usage examples:

The big wheel was turning

noun

An act of moving something in a circular direction round an axis or point.

Usage examples:

A safety lock requiring four turns of the key

verb

Move around an axis or a center

verb

Form into a bent, curling, or distorted shape.

Usage examples:

A strip of metal is twisted to form a hollow tube

noun

An act of twisting something around a stationary point.

Usage examples:

The taps needed a single twist to turn them on

verb

Cause an object to assume a curved or distorted shape

verb

Give or cause to give a short, sudden jerking or convulsive movement.

Usage examples:

Her lips twitched and her eyelids fluttered

noun

A short, sudden jerking or convulsive movement.

Usage examples:

His mouth gave a slight twitch

verb

To make a short and sudden movement, or to cause part of your body to move suddenly

Usage examples:

[ i ] she saw his mouth twitch into a little smile that disappeared almost at once., she signalled …

verb

Move or cause to move up and down or from side to side with small rapid movements.

Usage examples:

Vi wiggled her toes

noun

A wiggling movement.

Usage examples:

A slight wiggle of the hips

verb

Move to and fro

verb

Twist and turn with quick writhing movements.

Usage examples:

The puppy wriggled in his arms

noun

A wriggling movement.

Usage examples:

She gave an impatient little wriggle

verb

To make small quick movements with the body, turning from side to side

Usage examples:

[ i ] somehow he twisted himself about and wriggled free of farkas’s grip and danced away.

verb

Make twisting, squirming movements or contortions of the body.

Usage examples:

He writhed in agony on the ground

verb

To make twisting movements with the body, esp. because you are feeling strong emotion

Usage examples:

He writhed in agony at the thought.